Do you think poetry is supposed to rhyme?
By Amy
@artemis432 (7474)
Abernathy, Texas
August 23, 2007 4:14pm CST
The majority of poetry is free verse. For me, rhyming poetry comes out stilted and trite. Its obvious that instead of allowing the words to flow freely, I imprison my words in strict form and so the creativity seems to get caught too.
Do you think poetry is supposed to rhyme? If you're a poet what form do you use to express your poetry? Do your favourite poems rhyme? or do you think poetry has no place in writing or should be merely politcal? Or is it not understood by the masses? Do you like poems that are nonsensical, perhaps backward or political, like Jabberwocky by Lewis Carrol:
'Twas brillig and the slothy toves,
did gyre and wimble in the wabe
All mimsy and gimble were the borgroves,
and the momerathes outgrabe.
One of my favourites is a rhymed poem by Robert Frost:
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice,
From what I've tasted of Desire,
I hold with t hose who favour fire.
But if I had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate,
To say that, for destruction, ice
Is also great,
and would suffice.
For free verse, my two favourite are Richard Thompson poems:
Ice is the memory of passion
frozen on an eastern wind,
its fragrance oblitered moments
before a lost kiss
its love shadows vanished into
a frozen dawn.
Demanding silence.
I recall your touch,
restrained beyond compassion.
And it is better lost,
then barely felt.
And:
Caught in iron toothed traps
animals chew off their own feet.
I immolate my heart with my tongue
even now.
Come, embrace me with the darkness,
Take my words deep inside you,
and unspeak me with your eyes.
I wish I could find his poetry again somewhere anywhere - searched the web to no avail.
And if I had to choose a whole volume of poetry - and I'm not a fan of that- it would Marie Ranier Rilke's Book of Hours. Love poems for god. OR maybe Frogs at Twilight by someone or other.
Favourite poem of mine, just slightly sarcastic:
Blind Faith
The fire in your eyes seek mine.
The fire in our eyes match that in our souls.
Sweat glistens on gleaming muscles.
Combining fiercely.
Not knowing where you begin & I end.
The hard ground beneath us the only reality.
Rain soaks our merged bodies.
You tell me you love me.
I believe you.
(Its my favourite but not my best. I mean, do I begin where you end or is this just another dumb perfume commercial?)
Okay long post but the questions for you are in here!
1 person likes this
9 responses
@silvermoonmyst (943)
• United States
23 Aug 07
Poetry can rhyme and sound beautiful and flowing, just as non rhyming poetry can sound beautiful and flowing, it all depends on a persons perference. Personally i like non rhyming poetry better, but when i was younger i spent more time writing poetry that rhymed and its actually much harde. Finding words that blend together properly without messing up your meaning.
3 people like this
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
24 Aug 07
With free verse, my pen or fingers just effortlessly translate what is in my spirit. With rhyming poetry it all gets stilted.
1 person likes this
@theprogamer (10534)
• United States
24 Aug 07
Poetry does not have to rhyme at all. The message and form are part of the artwork, but it really doesn't have to rhyme. I liked the Frost example by the way, one of my favorites you highlighted.
2 people like this
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
24 Aug 07
You put it well.
Glad you like the Frost example. Not mine? Kidding.
@patgalca (18394)
• Orangeville, Ontario
24 Aug 07
I have a hard time writing poetry without rhyming. I'm just not very poetic with description to make prose a poem. I have written a few that don't rhyme. Those either came from deep within my heart, or were written as part of a workshop.
This is what we did (and I have seen this in OWL Magazine), the leader of the group had a big envelope in which she had little pieces of paper. Each piece of paper had one word typed on it. We took a handful of words and using some of the words we had, and adding prepositions where needed (or not), we created poems. Obviously they were not going to rhyme. I think mine turned out nice but not worthy of submitting to any contests.
Unfortunately I don't think poetry contest judges are looking for rhyming poems so they don't tend to win too many contests.
Here is one of the poems I put together just with a handful of words; I call it "Summer's Song":
beneath the summer sky
lazy in the sun above
I lie in love
delicate music plays
a fiddle sings
a swim in the river
the moment of the day
cool as juice
still in eternity
sweet power of beauty
light is my head
my feet spirit me away
copyright March 26, 2006
I don't know if it's any good. I have not submitted it anywhere. I will probably save it for my book of poetry that I hope to put together one day.
1 person likes this
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
24 Aug 07
I like it. I use writing excercises all the time. I put one sentence down the page - like, "this one from midnight yours." Each line, one word. Then I create the poem - using those words to start each line.
Or I create a poem that has say four columns of words. There is one poem across, one down each column and one across. Hard to explain, I may have an example on my myspace page - I know I have a few of the first example. The link is on my profile.
I never wanted to put together a book of poetry though I have enough for a few. I want to create something different - like word hangings. Most have such an idea what poetry is. Walking into a coffee house and being greeted by bad coffee and worse poetry. Or arcane words contained in dusty volumes and taught by dusty professors.
I want to offer poetry to more people - not to make it fashionable - but to repackage it so that those who wouldn't ordinarily read it are inspired, moved, entertained. Amused. I don't think most would pick up a full volume. But maybe they would pause at a poster of words. Not long poems, but poems that shout out at you. Or perhaps on papryus, even on cotton t-shirts.
Sorry...its a project close to my heart.
@patgalca (18394)
• Orangeville, Ontario
24 Aug 07
I know about "Writing Down the Bones" but with so many writing books on my list "to read" I haven't gotten to that one yet.
On the writing exercise board at ivillage they do a "jump start" every day. They post a picture and you are supposed give it a caption. A couple of times I was told that I should write inspirational cards or something. I have also considered humourous t-shirts on writing. But I have seen there is a lot of writing product (t-shirts, mugs, etc.) out there if you look around online.
1 person likes this
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
24 Aug 07
BTw - great excercise - I've played similiar games on line.
Have you read Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones"? You may also want to get the Writer's Market - it will give you ideas of how or where to submit your poetry or chapbook. I've gotten it every so often but somehow never use it.
Maybe its like how I used to deal with lottery tickets. I used to buy them - but not check. As if the dream was more important then the ticket. As long as I had the ticket and didn't check - there was the hope of winning, the fantasy. Who knows what would happen were I to win? What if all the stories about money corrupts is true?
Or maybe I'm just a model procrastinator!
@Aurone (4755)
• United States
24 Aug 07
It depends on what kind of poetry you are trying to write. I mostly write free verse but I have written a rhyming poem or two in my time. My favorite poem of all time is Hymn to the Night by Longfellow. And it happens to rhyme:
. . .From the cool cisterns of midnight air,
My spirit drank repose;
The fountain of perpetual peace flows there,--
From those deep cisterns flows.
I think each type of poetry has it place and depend only on what your are trying to express. I think rhyming or structure poetry shows some kind of mastery with the written word. As you try to express your feelings while conforming to a rhyme scheme or line constrictions. Plus if you like songs then you like rhyming poetry. They are called lyrical poems and make the music industry tons of money every year and most of them rhyme.
1 person likes this
@scarywhitegirl (2766)
• United States
24 Aug 07
I've always been a bigger fan of poetry that doesn't rhyme, because it does allow you to get out your thoughts better. Granted, some people would say that's just prose, but I think it can be poetry if the format is very short and you're not necessarily making complete sentences.
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
24 Aug 07
I agree, there are many different formats for poetry. Some of mine aren't complete sentences. I bet there were a lot of people who critized ee cummings.
@LearningToBreathe (11)
• India
28 Aug 07
I am into both poetry and song writing.It has been a matter of controversy for some throughout a long time about how poetry should be rhythmic or not.Some poets found more freedom to their pens in writing styles with open verses, yet some were still orthodox.There are still so many who prefer that rhythmic pattern as they feel it brings the more original touch of literacy and the genius lies in expressing thoughts with those limited features.Since that brought upon a kind a saturation more and more people gave in to open verses.I think using rhyme or not depends on the poet and other parameters that the author wishes to use.Parameters like the background and setting,no. of characters,their traits,use of imagery and description,etc.I personally prefer and use both techniques to develop and adapt depending on my parameters!
1 person likes this
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
28 Aug 07
I love your name here. I love that you wrote such a long response with such detail.
However, again, I've gotten an answer that tells of likeing both, but the only real complement is to the rhyming. As the meaning of literacy is the ability to read and write or being knowledgable in a particular subject or field, I feel my free verse shows literacy, I also think there is genuis as well in free verse. I was wondering about the elements or parameters you spoke of-I'm very curious, I wondered if you could elaborate which backrounds or settings do you see working with one style of writing and not another - what sort of character fits into one way of expressing your feelings and thoughts and not another. As far as I know, both styles are rhythmic in their own way, and choosing rhyming or non rhyming, for me, is just a choice of style, like cursive or manuscript, and has no bearing on what characters (usually the character is me! I don't usually tell elaborate stories with my poetry) or imagery or backround or setting.
I'd love to read some of your poetry.
@LearningToBreathe (11)
• India
28 Aug 07
By "original touch of literacy" I meant the eloquence in writing referring to the Elizabethan period.The genius undoubtedly comes out in free verses as well depending on the text's appeal to the reader.I like to broadly differentiate between association of parameters in rhythmic and open verses as-orthodox and contemporary.An orthodox setting would generally call for more proper and organized rhyming patterns,while a contemporary scene like of a fast moving city life and tantrums associated with it would tag along a open versed pattern.Topics that are sensuous would be an example for contemporary styles.Think an eerie afternoon in the monsoon with the setting being an isolated town with no people around.The earth would breathe due to a torrent shower and the big leaves look sliperry and green.A drop from the leaf breaks the silence.The same goes for characters as well.A couple of lines should give the reader a picture of the character.It ultimately depends on what the topic asks of the writer and what the author grants to the piece.At the end of the day,its reflection of society and a piece of art which appeals to some or more-The autonomy of art!!
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
24 Aug 07
Is that poetry you like - or do you think all poetry should fall within those guidelines? Because there are poems classified as such (I think it may be called Parnassuis) that go on and on for pages singing the phrases of a flower! Not my cup of tea - BY FAR - but many enjoy that kind of thing.
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
25 Aug 07
I appreciate your opinion of what you personally appreciate in poetry.
I must admit, although I would never say this or that is true poetry, (I was a little insulted with a comment that said rhyming poetry shows true word mastery although it wasn't meant to insult)I too like short poetry and tend towards that.
@urbandekay (18278)
•
24 Aug 07
Poetry need not rhyme; when done badly it detracts from the poem but when done well enhances it
all the best urban
@urbandekay (18278)
•
24 Aug 07
Some times it sounds as you suggest, as sometimes plain verse sounds ugly
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
24 Aug 07
Exactly. And rarely does it resonate the same to me. If it sounds stilted, worked for, trite. Even songs where the person really reaches for that rhyme.
@poobah (1)
•
2 Jan 12
@artemis432,
Thank you so much for posting this.I have been searching for the Richard Thompson poem forever!!!! I am a bit of a computer- challenged person so it took me a long time to get this far.
Just wanted to tell you that I like both rhyming and free verse poetry but of course not as a whole, poem by poem.
Maybe you won't even see this post but I hope you do because of you I will sleep a little easier tonight! Thanks again.
Cheers! Pooba
